The present invention relates to the field of test exam preparation.
A wide variety of business and educational institutions utilized standardized tests to evaluate applicants for employment or admission. Such tests include civil service tests for governmental positions, professional licensing exams, vocational licensing exams, college placement exams, and high school proficiency exams. Examples include the EMT-Basic exam, Paramedic Exam, Texas Academic Skills Program, and civil service exams for police and fire departments.
In order to increase the likelihood that they will be admitted to the educational or business institution of their choice, many applicants prepare for standardized tests by taking practice tests.
In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided for providing a consumer with an on-line practice test for a desired standardized test. In accordance with the present invention, a consumer who wishes to take a practice test accesses the system via a remote electronic connection such as the Internet, other global information network, or direct point-to-point telephone connection. Upon accessing the system, the consumer selects and takes an on-line practice test. The system calculates the consumer""s score on the practice test, and recommends appropriate study aids to the consumer based upon the consumer""s score. Preferably, the system analyzes score results by skill area, and recommends appropriate study aids based upon the consumer""s score in individual skill areas. The consumer then has the option of electronically purchasing the recommended study aid through the system.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the consumer accesses the system server from a client computer (e.g. his or her personal desktop or laptop computer) via a xe2x80x9cPractice Test Companyxe2x80x9d web page, and selects and takes the on-line practice test by sequencing through a plurality of web pages in a conventional manner. Preferably, the consumer is allowed to select from a plurality of practice tests which relate to a plurality of standardized tests, such as civil service exams, academic exams, and professional licensing exams. Upon selecting a desired practice exam, the consumer purchases the on-line practice exam by providing credit card or other billing information to the system. Prior to, or after purchasing the on-line practice exam, the consumer selects (or is automatically provided with) a unique user ID which is used by the system to store the consumer""s test results, and to provide the user with access thereto.
The consumer may then proceed to take the test on-line, with the test questions displayed on, and answers input to, a plurality of web pages. Preferably, the consumer is provided with an unlimited amount of time to take the test. In addition, the consumer may stop the test at any time, and then return to complete it later, with the results stored under the unique user ID referenced above. Most preferably, however, the consumer is provided with only a limited amount of time to complete a given portion of the exam (e.g. 5 minutes), in order to more closely resemble test conditions. Once the consumer has completed the on-line practice test, the system automatically calculates and displays the consumer""s overall score on the test, as well as the consumer""s score on individual skills or content areas within the test.
In this regard, each question on the on-line practice test is assigned to a specific skill or content area in the system database, and each test has one or more skills or content areas. In certain embodiments, each test may include 3 or more skill or content areas.
In general, skill areas relate to fundamental skills such as reading, writing, and math, and content areas relate to specific disciplines such as science, literature, arts, and to profession-specific information. In any given test, the skill or content areas may be physical (the test is actually displayed in sections with all questions in one skill or content area grouped together) or logical (questions in the various skills are mixed throughout the test, so that the section division is invisible to the user). In either case, the system tracks the user""s performance using the skill or content area as assigned to each question.
Concurrently with, or subsequent to, display of the overall and individual test scores to the consumer, the system automatically provides recommendations on additional study aids to the consumer. Preferably, the system provides each consumer with a recommendation of at least one additional study aid designed to help increase the consumer""s score on the test as a whole.
In addition, the system may also make additional study aid recommendations based upon the consumer""s score on the individual skill and content areas of the test. In this regard, for each skill and content area of the test, the system maintains a separate cut-off score (e.g. 60%) or cut-off range (e.g. 60%-70%). If the consumer""s score in a given individual skill or content area falls below a cut-off score or within a cut-off score range, the system may recommend a study aid which is specifically directed to that particular skill or content area. If the consumer""s score in a given individual skill or content area is not within the cut-off score range (or is above the cut-off score), the system will not make a recommendation for that skill or content area. For example, one set of products can be recommended for a score cut-off score range between 50% and 60%, while another set of products can be recommended for a cut-off score range between 61% and 70%. Alternately, cut-off score can be set to 60%, and a product recommended on any score of 60% or less. It should be noted that the system may or may not have a study aid to recommend for each skill or content area. Moreover, the study aid can be in a variety of forms, including, books, videos, CD ROMS, and on-line products. In an alternative embodiment, the study aid based on the test as a whole is omitted, and the consumer is provided only with study aid recommendations based upon the consumer""s score on the individual skill and content areas of the test may include 3 skill or content areas. In any event, after receiving the recommendations, the consumer is provided with the opportunity to purchase the recommended study aids on line via, for example, a direct click through to product database and shopping cart system.